ALOHA, OREGON - APRIL 12, 2014 - Cassandra Miller, of Aloha, said she and her son James Miller, 5, max out both of their library cards on children's books every time they come to the Aloha Community Library.
(Anna Marum/Beaverton Leader)

For the nonprofit library, which opened in September 2012 and recently moved to a larger location, this is proof that the work of staff and volunteers is paying off.

Doug Hoy, president of the Aloha library board, said everyone involved with the library's growth - volunteers and staff alike - are feeling an immense sense of accomplishment.

"It's a big step," he said. "It's one we've been working toward for many years - before we opened the first library. It was very daunting then, and we weren't sure if we were up to doing that."

But now, the many fundraisers and hours of work are paying off, and it's very gratifying, he said.

Inclusion in the library cooperative would enable the Aloha library to receive county funding and share
materials with other libraries in the cooperative, like the Beaverton
City Library and the Hillsboro Public Library. The Aloha library would
become a public library, but remain a nonprofit organization.

But first, the library cooperative's executive board must approve the recommendation. The board's next meeting is May 28. Next, the recommendation needs the Washington County Board of Commissioners' stamp of approval. If approved, the Aloha library's inclusion in the system is contingent on the passage of a county-wide library levy, which is slated for the November 2015 ballot.

A current levy provides about a quarter of the funding for the county's public libraries, and the continued voter-approved funding is crucial in adding a library to the cooperative.

If the 2015 levy passes, the Aloha library could become part of the county system in the summer of 2016.

Eva Calcagno, director of Washington County Cooperative Library Services, said the members of the policy group were impressed with the level of planning that went into the Aloha library's application for membership.

Calcagno said she's amazed by the speed at which the library has grown. The North Plains library was the last to become a member of the county cooperative - it joined in 2007. While Calcagno thought the five years it took the North Plains library to become a member was "lightning fast," the Aloha library has grown even faster. And that's without the help of a city.

"They've been able to rally around the new-found energy in the community," she said.

She attributes some of this community spirit to the increased focus on the area from the Aloha-Reedville Study.

"They've done an incredible amount of work," she said of the library staff and volunteers.